The higher we've moved up the Football League over the past ten-and-a-half years, the rarer it's been for us to see terracing on our travels. Yet at Huish Park, there's almost a danger that we as fans are taking our terracing for granted. I would imagine that most supporters are blissfully unaware that as the Football League rules stand, we would lose our terracing permanently in eighteen months time, assuming that we still hold our Championship status by the start of the 2015-16 season.

I have always stood on the terraces at football grounds, and would like to think that I would be able to do so for as long as possible. The Football League rules as they stand have always seemed slightly odd to me, and I would like to see them reviewed by the relevant authorities. The way the rules work are to imply that Huish Park is apparently 'safe' to have terracing when playing League One matches, yet it is 'unsafe' for us to have that same terracing at the same capacity at Championship level. Yet if we were to be relegated back to League One it would become 'safe' again - that's unless we've spent long enough to stay at Championship level to convert to an all-seater stadium, in which case it would be 'unsafe' to change it back to terracing. Does that make sense? I don't think so.

I am very sympathetic to the circumstances that resulted in the production of the Taylor Report, in the wake of the Hillsborough Disaster. At the time, I was on work experience in the Wirral and Liverpool and so rubbed shoulders with those affected by the disaster. However, what the authorities need to do is to consider whether the changes that were made to football stadiums since then have worked. The majority have - fences were torn down, pens have been removed, crush barriers were put up, the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (and before it the Football Licensing Authority) has the power to close sections of stadiums that fail to come up to scratch, whilst stadium technology such as CCTV and real time turnstile counters give safety personnel far more control over capacity within the ground. Football grounds are far far safer, and I don't think it would be accurate to say that installing seating has been the reason why - as a byproduct it may have forced clubs to invest in their crumbling facilities, and a lot more money (via the Football Foundation) being made available to clubs, but then we're into the question of cause and effect - and also the question of whether seating directly implies safety.

Consider Luton's Kenilworth Road, where they bolted seats onto terrace steps that were ill-fitting and where any supporter over five-foot tall would find it almost impossible to sit down given the knee room was so appalling in the away end, meaning that access across rows whilst people were occupying seats was almost impossible. This wasn't a stand where you could easily exit for a cup of tea, let alone in a hurry. Then compare that with the well designed Huish Park home terrace. Which ground would I feel more safe in during an emergency? Yet if both grounds were in the Championship, it would be Huish Park that would be seen as 'unsafe' whilst Luton's away end would be seen as 'safe'. That makes no sense to me - stadium safety is much more about the overall design of the stand than whether people are stood up or sat down.

As things stand today, Yeovil Town are the one single club with the most to gain if the current rules are changed. Similarly we are the one single club who have the most to lose if the current rules are not changed. That's because we are the only club in the Championship that has still got terracing at their ground. That's the stark reality, and that's why I believe the club needs to be putting itself at the forefront of the Safe Standing campaign, if only for our own selfish reasons - let alone what is good for the wider future of football.

There are two possible futures ahead of us, much like the film Sliding Doors. In the one future, which represents the current set of rules, we will have to have funded, planned and built two new stands where our current two terraces lie. If we do not do that, then the rules are that those terraces will be considered as 'out of bounds'. Once those changes are done, the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) does not allow you to go back. Unless these are designed as larger structures, the capacity of the ground will be reduced We'll need to go through a full planning application for larger stands if we want to keep our current ground capacity. It will be expensive, and both ends will need to be planned in a way that causes as little disruption as possible to any committed fixtures. There may be games when we have one or both ends closed if we cannot squeeze all work between May and July.

The other possible future is that we push and campaign - either for orthodox terracing to be maintained at Championship level, or for 'Safe Standing' rail seats to be introduced. In the first situation we are able to maintain our current ground, whilst in the other situation, unless Yeovil Town get into a European competition (!) or the Premier League (!!) then the actual seats will never be used. The net reduction in capacity will be far smaller, and the costs to the club will be far lower. The club then gets the chance to properly redevelop such facilities at their own leisure, and at a time when they can properly afford to do so.

It may also be that the Football League or other authorities insist upon trials being held for Safe Standing or a return to terracing, before they are willing to properly change the rules. Clubs that volunteer for such trials would presumably be scrutinised by safety experts to see the effect that it has on crowd control and stadium safety. In such a situation, Yeovil Town would be well placed to put themselves forward as a trialist - we have a good record for crowd behaviour, and so would be seen as low risk, and we have a ground that is already set out for standing facilities. The problem as things stand though, is that we're not one of the clubs that have put their names forward and so wouldn't be considered.

We need to put the message forward to the League and other footballing authorities that Huish Park is a safe place for spectators to stand in, even at Championship level. But the only way we can do that is by making sure that we join ranks with the Safe Standing campaign. If we sit back and do nothing, then in the summer of 2015 we will face an expensive headache, combined with supporters that are disappointed to lose their terrace facilities. The Board of Directors won't want the expense, whilst the Supporters won't want to be confined to seating. We should therefore be united in a common cause on this.

Excellent article and a) I'd like to think the dilemma becomes real through our staying at Championship level, and b) that the club and others venture onto the terraces to note how safe it really is, whilst - as you say - venturing to such as Luton to see where it is not.
What says Mr Fry?
31/12/2013 11:39:43

Brendon Owen said ...

A well argued article. Take note YTFC 'We should be united in a common cause on this' Don't sit on your hands until it is too late to do something. Be positive for once and talk to the the fans who have stood for years and have the right to an opinion.
31/12/2013 12:13:39

Graham Oakes said ...

It has always struck me as bizarre that the steep seating at bigger grounds is considered safer than our terracing, when it clearly isn't.
If we need political support, half of the government (and Yeovil MP David Laws) is committed to Safe Standing areas.
31/12/2013 14:12:06

Big Len said ...

Why don't the club come clean now and apply for planning permission for seats on both the home and away terraces. Past experience shows that the Planning Authorities, Building Control and the Safety Authorities take at least 12 months to approve any changes like this (example covering the home terrace). Once the plans are approved the club need to sort out the method of doing the work in a closed season is not long enough to add seats and a roof.
01/01/2014 10:14:13

Submit Your Own Comments

Name :

E-Mail :

Notify Me When Comments Are Added To This Article?

NOTE: Your name will appear against your comment, but your email address will not be displayed. It is only required in case we need to contact you. It will not be distributed to anyone outside Ciderspace.